A Week in Romania
In my mind I tried to recollect if I had ever experienced anything like
Bucharest in the past. I've been fortunate enough to travel around Europe visiting many countries both rich and poor. I tried to imagine in my mind when flying into Romania's Capital what I would find.
On landing in Bucharest you arrive at an international airport which would grace most major capitals of the world. You then make your
way along the main boulevard which is flanked with many
impressive buildings from bye gone periods which has helped make Bucharest what it is today. First impressions are of a fast moving city, a city that was under the tyranny of dictatorial rulers yet is moving towards a new future becoming more and more cosmopolitan by the day. However first impressions can fool you, look a little longer and harder and you see a very different Bucharest, one of sadness yet joy, one of poverty yet hope, one of sorrow yet love, one of hardship yet
faith.
I have now begun to understand the meaning of the phrase "the emotional roller coaster of life". I have never witnessed young
smiling children, living in conditions which are so harsh, trying to
explain in writing could never do it justice, and you truly have to witness it for yourself. So unfortunate yet able to give warmth, through their love and appreciation for the little help they receive.
I have never experienced being in a person's home and wanting to get away from it, because the conditions are so awful you are on the verge of breaking down.
I have never been to an orphanage before; nothing in life can prepare you for the deep feeling of sorrow, or children with no hope of experiencing another kind of life. I have never witnessed a hospital so poor and rundown, yet full of wonderful people working...
...tirelessly to relieve the pain and suffering of orphans and children with chronic diseases.
You try to understand why this has happened and why has God let it
happen.
You try and work it out and you can't. What you begin to understand is faith. What I have witnessed this past week is faith, faith in individuals and great faith in God. The people working within the care and health service in Bucharest and throughout Romania have great faith in making life better, bit by bit, for the poor and suffering of this country.
I have come home this week stronger in my own faith and understanding of the love of God.
Richard Drummond
In my mind I tried to recollect if I had ever experienced anything like
Bucharest in the past. I've been fortunate enough to travel around Europe visiting many countries both rich and poor. I tried to imagine in my mind when flying into Romania's Capital what I would find.
On landing in Bucharest you arrive at an international airport which would grace most major capitals of the world. You then make your
way along the main boulevard which is flanked with many
impressive buildings from bye gone periods which has helped make Bucharest what it is today. First impressions are of a fast moving city, a city that was under the tyranny of dictatorial rulers yet is moving towards a new future becoming more and more cosmopolitan by the day. However first impressions can fool you, look a little longer and harder and you see a very different Bucharest, one of sadness yet joy, one of poverty yet hope, one of sorrow yet love, one of hardship yet
faith.
I have now begun to understand the meaning of the phrase "the emotional roller coaster of life". I have never witnessed young
smiling children, living in conditions which are so harsh, trying to
explain in writing could never do it justice, and you truly have to witness it for yourself. So unfortunate yet able to give warmth, through their love and appreciation for the little help they receive.
I have never experienced being in a person's home and wanting to get away from it, because the conditions are so awful you are on the verge of breaking down.
I have never been to an orphanage before; nothing in life can prepare you for the deep feeling of sorrow, or children with no hope of experiencing another kind of life. I have never witnessed a hospital so poor and rundown, yet full of wonderful people working...
...tirelessly to relieve the pain and suffering of orphans and children with chronic diseases.
You try to understand why this has happened and why has God let it
happen.
You try and work it out and you can't. What you begin to understand is faith. What I have witnessed this past week is faith, faith in individuals and great faith in God. The people working within the care and health service in Bucharest and throughout Romania have great faith in making life better, bit by bit, for the poor and suffering of this country.
I have come home this week stronger in my own faith and understanding of the love of God.
Richard Drummond